Steam generating attachment for a laundering iron



A. c. wooD 2,812,598

STEAM GENERATING ATTACHMENT FOR A LAUNDERING IRON Nbv. 12, 1957 5Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 21, 1955 Imm/mn:n o Rcvmfup [zml/LL woop BWMi M ATTfS.

Nov. 12, 1957 A. c. woon 2,812,598

STEAM GENERATING ATTACHMENT FOR A LAUNDERING IRON Filed March 2l, 1955 3Sheets-Sheet 2 VMM Nov. 12, 1957 A. c. woon 2,812,598

STEAM GENERATING ATTACHMENT FOR A LAUNDERING IRON Filed March 2l,l 1955.'5 Sheets-Sheet 3 nite States 2,812,598 Patented Nov. 12, 1957 STEAMGENERATING ATTACHMENT FR A LAUNDERING IRON Archibald Cuthill Wood,Perivale, England, assigner to Albert Edward Sansom, Exinouth, EnglandApplication March 21, 1955, Serial No. 495,599

Claims priority, application Great Britain March 27, 1954 2 Claims. (Cl.38-77) This invention relates to laundering irons and in particular toattachments for use with such irons for the provision of a supply ofsteam to the material being ironed.

The main object of the present invention is to provlde an improved andsimplified construction facilitating dlstribution of the steam oversubstantially the whole of the ironing surface of the attachment.

A second object of the invention is to provide means whereby theattachment may be readily secured to the iron with which it is to beused.

A third object is to provide an improved constructlon whereby thedevelopment of steam automatically ceases when the iron, having theattachment thereon, is stood up on its rear end in the usual manner whennot in use.

According to the present invention, a steam forming and distributingattachment for a laundering iron comprises an upper plate adapted toform a seating for the usual sole plate of the iron, a base plate forcontacting the material to be ironed in the manner of a sole plate, aperipheral washer held between the upper plate and base plate anddefining therewith a central cavity extending over most of the baseplate, apertures in the base plate communicating between the cavity andthe outer surface of the base plate, and means for supplying water tothe cavity for the generation of steam therein.

Means are advantageously provided for securing the attachment on theiron, and in a preferred construction such means include one or moreresiliently extensible members, e. g. spiral springs, coupled to theattachment and arranged to pass about the body of the iron.Additionally, a nose structure on the base plate may have an undercutvrecess Itherein to receive the usual pointed front end of the soleplate of the laundering iron.

Preferably the attachment includes an integral water supply containerand in a practical form such container is carried at the front end ofthe base plate and communicates with the front end of the cavity formedbetween the base plate and upper plate.

In an advantageous embodiment, the water container extends for somedistance along the length of the attachment and communicates throughpassage means with the cavity at or towards the frontend thereof, thearrangement being such that when the attachment is stood up on its rearend the water level in the container falls below the level of thepassage means and the supply of water to the cavity automaticallyceases, whereby waste of water is avoided when the iron is not actuallyin use.

By way of example, such a water container includes a tank at the nose ofthe base plate and two lateral tubes mounted on the tank and openingthereinto at their front end, said tubes extending along each side ofthe attachment towards the rear thereof.

Means may be provided for varying the rate of supply of water to thecavity, e. g. a simple manually-operable valve.

The base plate preferably includes one or more portions displacedupwardly towards the upper plate so as to form bearers for the upperplate, whereby the latter is supported and thus may be made ofrelatively thinner material. The apertures of the base plate may beprovided in the upwardly-displaced bearer portion or portions; e. g. thelatter may be domed portions with the apertures eccentrically positionedtherein.

An embodiment of the invention, and a modification thereof, arehereinafter particularly described with reference to the figures of theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly insection, of the attachmentsecured in position on a laundering iron;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the attachment, with the laundering ironremoved;

Figure 3 is a perspective elevation of a nose portion of the attachmentserving as a water container;

Figure 4 is an underplan view of the attachment; i

Figure 5 is a fragmentary section, taken at the line V-V of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an elevation of the attachment fitted on a laundering iron,the latter being stood up on its rear end in the non-use position;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of a modification; l

Figure 8 is a perspective elevation of a somewhat shorter nose portionin the modification of Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is an underplan of the modification of Figure 7.

ln Figures l to 6 the attachment consists of a hollow nose portion 1,advantageously formed as a die-cast metal member, having in its upperwall a screw-threaded filler opening to receive a correspondinglyscrew-threaded cap 2 provided with a very small central bore for thepassage of air into the nose portion as water is removed. At the rear,the base of the nose portion 1 is apertured to receive a capillary tube3 the front end of which is formed as a conical valve seating to coactwith a needle valve member 4 threaded through the upper wall of the noseportion l. The valve member 4 has at its upper end a turnedover portionfor easier manipulation by the fingers, and said turned-over portion mayalso serve to act in conjunction with markings such as off and on on thetop surface of the nose portion. Alternatively, thevturnedover portioncould be replaced by a round cap similar to the cap 2 but preferablysmaller, and having on and off markings on it. Rotation of the valvemember 4 causes the front end of the capillary tube 3 to be more or lessopened to control the fiowl of water into the tube 3 from the inside ofthe nose portion 1, the latter being preferably suitably insulated toprevent the water therein reaching boiling point.

The nose portion 1 is mounted at the front end of a base plate S,preferably die-cast, of substantially the shape of a common launderingiron, on which is seated a peripheral washer 6 surmounted by an upperplate 7, the

base plate 5 with the washer 6 and upper plate 7 serving to define aninternal cavity extending over the greater part of the area of the baseplate. The base plate 5 is provided with a peripheral upturned fiangethrough the rear portion 8 of which are threaded two screws 9 serving tobear on the top surface of the upper plate 7 and retain the latter inposition. The front end of the `washer 6 and of the upper plate 7 isengaged under the rear of the nose portion l in a recess 1) therein. Atits rear the nose port tion l has mounted thereon, at each side, asubstantially horizontal lateral tube 11, of round or oval section,closed at the rear end and opening at the front end into the ini teriorof the nose portion 1. These two tubes 11 serve, in conjunction with thenose portion 1, as a container for water to be turned into steam, thereference 12 denoting a water level therein.

In Figures 1 and 6 the attachment is shown in conjunction with alaundering iron consisting of a sole plate i3 and a body and handleportion 14. The nose at the front end of the sole plate 13 is engaged inan undercut V-shaped recess in the rear wall of the nose portion l,which serves for retention to the iron at the front, whilst near therear end of the attachment there are provided, on the base plate 5, twolugs 16 arranged one at each side and serving for coupling the ends of aspring which is passed over the rear portion of the body 14 on the ironand serves to retain the iron and attachment together at the rear end. Asecond spring ida, releasably passed through the handle of the iron, iscoupled at one end to a lug on one of the tubes M and has at its otherend a ring to engage about a hook on the other tube 1li.

Figures 4 and 5 illustrate details of construction of the base platewhich is provided with a number of domed areas 19 the height of whichcorresponds to the height of the central cavity 117 formed between thebase plate 5 and upper plate 7, whereby the upper plate rests on and issupported by these domed. areas and as a result of which the upper platecan be made of thinner and lighter material than would be necessary ifit were wholly self-snp` porting over the cavity.

In order to allow passage of the steam from the cavity 17 to thematerial being ironed, the domed areas 19 of the base plate 5 have holes13 therein, these holes being eccentrically placed so as not to beobstructed by the upper plate resting thereon.

The operation is as follows:

Assuming that the attachment is already secured on the iron inhorizontal position, water is illed into the nose portion l and tubes 1ithrough the filler opening with the cap 2 removed. The cap 2 is thenreplaced and the valve member 4 is operated to open the front end of thecapillary tube 3 slightly so as to allow water to pass slowly throughthe tube 3 into the cavity 17. As the upper plate 7 is in direct contactwith the hot sole plate of the iron, the water entering the cavity 17 isturned immediately into steam which passes through the holes 18 in thebase plate 5 and over a wide area into the material being ironed. Therate of production of steam according. to requirements, e. g. type ofmaterial, can be governed by movement of the valve member 4 with thefinger.

Between ironing movements, when it is desired that the necessarilylimited water supply shall. not be wasted, the iron is stood up on endinthe usual manner,v as shown in Figure 6, and in this position thewhole of the water supply passes into the two tubes l1 and thus lies ata level below that of the front end of the tube 3 so that no more waterpasses into the cavity 17 and waste is avoided. As soontas. the iron isplaced. horizontal again when ironing recommences, the water again liowsthrough the tube 3 and steam is produced as before.

The washer 6 is advantageously of heat-resisting resilient materialwhereby a seal between it and the base plate and upper plate is morereadily obtained.

The rate of water ow can be varied between intermittant drops and asteady flow, and for use of the iron dry in the normal manner can be cutoff altogether, whereby the attachment need not be removed.

The tubes 11 could advantageously be made of transparent plasticmaterial so as to allow a visual indication to be given of the quantityof water available for use.

In Figures 7, 8 and 9 the nose portion 2t) has been modified by placingthe valve control knob and valvek member 21 ahead of the filler cap 22whereby the opening. of the tube 23 is as far forward as possible, Withthis arrangement, when the. iron is stood on its rear end, even with thewater container completely iill'ed, very little if any water will passinto the tube 23. Similarly, the nose portion being shorter allows theforemost domed portions 24 and holes 25 to be placed further forward atthe important forward area of the base plate 26. The tubes 27 are madehorizontal instead of inclined to avoid air-locks when lilling.

As the only engagement between the attachment and the iron is by virtueot the insertion of the nose of the sole plate of the iron into theundercut recess of the nose portion 1 of the attachment, and by virtueof the engagement of the springs about the body of the iron, the widthand length of the iron can vary within limits and the attachment canaccordingly be used in conjunction with most common domestic launderingirons at present available.

I claim:

1. A steam forming and distributing attachment for a laundering iron,comprising a base including an upper plate and an apertured lower platespaced apart and dening between them a cavity, the upper plate servingto form a seating for the usual sole plate ot the iron and the lowerplate serving to contact the material to be ironed, a hollow noseportion mounted on the front end of the base, a conduit in the baseforming a communica'- tion between the hollow nose portion and thecavity of the base for flow of water from the container to the cavity,and a tubular water container mounted by one endon the hollow noseportion and disposed above and spaced from the upper plate of the base,said water container being closed at its end remote from the hollow noseportion and opening at its other end into said hollow nose portion,whereby when the attachment is disposed for ironing with the baseapproximately horizontal water in the tubular container liows 'bygravity into the hollow nose portion for feeding through the conduit tothe cavity of the base, andv when the attachment is disposed in a restposition vertically on its end remote from the hollow nose portion, th-ewater iiows out of the hollow nose portion back into the tubular watercontainer and the supply to the base is cut off.

2. A steam forming and distributing attachment for a laundering ironcomprising a base including an upper plate and an apertured lower platespaced apart and deiining between them a cavity, the upper plate servingto form aV seating for the usual sole plate of the iron and the lowerplate serving to contact the material to be ironed, a hollow noseportion mounted on the front end of the base, a conduit in the baseforming a communication between the hollow nose portionl and the cavityot the base for iowl of water from the container to the cavity,amanually operable` iiow control valve in said conduit, and two tubularwater containers mounted each byy one end on the hollowr nose portionand disposed above and spacedfrom the` upper plate of the base, saidVwater containers being closedv at their ends remote from the hollownose portion and opening at their other ends into said hollow noseportion', whereby when the attachment is disposed for` ironing, with thebase approximately horizontal", water in the tubular'containers flows bygravity into the hollow nose portion for feeding through the conduit asregulated by the flow control valve, and when the attachment is disposedin a rest position vertically on itsk end remote' from the hollow noseportion,l the water flows out'of the hollow nose'portion back into thetubular water containers and the supply to the base is cut off.

References Citedl in the tile' of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS1,858,250 Smith May 17, 19312 2,142,032 Matsen Dec. 27, 1938 2,671,284`Clemons et al; Mar. 9; 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 212,631 Switzerland f Mar.3, 1941

